U.S. Construction Equipment Exports Drop 17 Percent

Exports of U.S.-made construction equipment declined 17 percent for the first half of 2015 compared to the first half of 2014, with a total $7.4 billion shipped to global markets.

All world regions experienced declines, led by Africa, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). The AEM equipment manufacturing trade group cited U.S. Department of Commerce data it uses in global market reports for members.

Exports by World Region

January-June 2015 U.S. construction equipment exports by major world regions compared to January-June 2014:

The second quarter of 2015 marked the 10th consecutive quarter that U.S. construction equipment exports experienced year over year declines and the 7th consecutive quarter that imports rose. While exports decreased for every major region, the only equipment category we noticed some export growth in were generator sets.

While the U.S. market remains stable overall (there are some areas affected by the lower oil prices), the U.S. trade balance for our industry continues to slump. It is hard to pinpoint the exact cause of this situation, as there are many issues at play here.

First of all, a stronger U.S. dollar is making U.S. manufacturers less competitive. In September 2015, the Broad Weighted Trade Index for the US Dollar, provided to us by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, had grown 18.2 percent compared to January 2014 and 21.5 percent compared to January 2013.

A second issue is the global deterioration of demand due to cyclical and structural issues. As investment is flowing from the emerging markets back to the developed western nations, demand for construction equipment travels with it. While not all emerging markets are hit evenly, we can expect the current Chinese downturn to have effect on our markets also. Naturally, shifts in investments allow for growth elsewhere.

Exports by Top 10 Countries

The top countries buying the most U.S.-made construction machinery during the first half of 2015 (by dollar volume) were: